1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mobile communications. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for determining inbound roaming traffic market share for a specific host network.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
It has become very important for a mobile network operator to know its inbound roaming market share so that it can be better informed in negotiations with other networks with roamers in the host network's country. The host network (visited operator) has no easy reliable means of knowing whether the home operator is steering an adequate share of the inbound roamers to it. For any host operator, determining its market share from a given foreign home network relative to the market share of competing operators in the same country is valuable information. Accordingly, there is a need for essential intelligence associated with the inbound roaming traffic market share because this intelligence would improve the contract negotiations between the host network and home networks. The host network would gain an important advantage by knowing its inbound roaming market share from the respective roaming partner in negotiating business deals to acquire additional roamers into its own network thereby generating more roaming revenue.
One method for determining inbound roaming traffic is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0061854. That method relies on polling methods of a sample of roamers to determine which ones are registered with the host network and which ones are registered on rival networks. Analyzing signaling messages from subscribers and determining via a gateway the host network's roaming arrangement with non-host network. This approach has several major shortcomings that undermine its efficacy and general applicability. Polling techniques require transmission of messages to a sample of roamers. Transmission of polling messages to roamers on rival networks may be prohibited by those networks, thereby significantly reducing applicability of the method disclosed in the '854 Publication. Sample size of the roamers being polled and sample selection may also have significant effects on accuracy of the polling results.
Accordingly, what is needed is a novel solution for determining the inbound roaming market share that does not require polling and, instead, uses a different approach based on an existing data capture solution.